Vestvågøy
Theme - 2
The island of
Vestvågøy
The Vestvågøy Island, with its 400
km2 is the largest island of the Lofoten
archipelago. The area is well suited for
agricultural settlement as it is less mountainous
than the other islands. In fact,
Vestvågøy is regarded as one of the
better farming districts in North Norway.
In old written sources, the island of
Vestvågøy was given the name Lofotr.
Icelandic sources from the 12th/13th centuries
confirm that the name Lofoten
is used exclusively for Vestvågøy
(Nielssen, in press).
Later, the island of Vestvågøy gave
its name to all the islands in the archipelago. The
name is interpreted in two ways, and which is the
correct one is still discussed. One explanation is
Lofotr in the meaning of the foot of a lynx, from
the shape of the island. The other meaning is
Lofotr as the country by the mountain foot. F.
Myrvang tries to explain the name Lofotr in
connection with topographical conditions in the
area of Borg.
Flag of the municipality: Two white stockfish on
blue. Adopted: 7. September 1984. Designer: Kjell
Kvivesen.
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This
project has been supported by the EU as part of the Culture
2000 programme.